About Me

Born in the late 60's, Chesy hails from a Welsh mining village with a long name and was pretty glad when he got the Hell out of there. He got into Rock/Metal in about 1980, thanks to a TISWAS related incident (Rainbow video for All Night Long) and thankfully has never looked back.
Chesy often sang solo in the school choir, but thanks to a puberty related incident his voice is now completely bolloxed, although in his own head Paul thinks he sounds like a blend of Coverdale and Dio (R.I.P).
He was brought up on the classics - Deep Purple, Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, Rush, Whitesnake and loved melodic rock and the Hair Bands of the 80's. (Nowadays, he has progressed a little and prefers a more technical and/or progressive metal - Dream Theater, Rush, Symphony X, Porcupine Tree, Pain Of Salvation, Spock's Beard. He hates Black and Death Metal (can't stand the grunting) but for some unknown reason loves the magnificent Opeth! He wont stop this blog until his beloved FM finally play the likes of the NEC as a headlining act!!!

Sunday, 26 March 2017

Viana is the brainchild of Stefano Viana,
of which the band name originates from. He took up the guitar aged 16 after a
typical Randy Rhoads ‘experience’! He is certainly not the first to be
influenced by Rhoades, and definitely will not be the last. Basically this
album has been a loooong time coming. It’s roots started back in 2009 with
Alessandro Del Vecchio writing and performing the lyrics and vocals
respectively.In came some of the more
renowned Italian session musicians – Anna Portalupi on bass, Alessandro Mori on
drums, Gabriele Gozzi on backing vocals, and Pasquale Indo on keyboards.
Apparently a serious personal problem puts his album on hiatus until April 2016
where he handed the reins over to Alessandro for mixing etc. With the ear that
Ale has, he decided to bring in an additional guitarist, Francesco Marras to
round off the sound and the band.

On early inspection, you can tell that
Viana is influenced by 80s rock bands.Opening track ‘Straight Between Our Hearts’ is standard melodic rock
fare, but not in a bad way. ‘Bad Signs’ is the song to pick as a promo/single
for the album, as it highlights the vocals of Del Vecchio, and also the
interplay with the BVs of Gozzi and the whole composition in general. It
typifies the sound and melodic direction that Viana are heading in. ‘Feel Your
Love Tonight ‘ is a ballad that ticks the boxes with its lightness of the verse
and then the punch of the chorus. ‘Night Of Fire’ has more of an 80s straight
for the jugular riff. The verse here is a bit weaker than its predecessors, but
again Viana have a knack for a strong chorus that pulls the song up by its
britches. ‘Follow The Dawn’ is your melodic rock staple ballad, before ‘A New
Love’, ‘Living A Lie’ and ‘Just To Sing’ and ‘Open Road’ pick up the pace and
shows the type of songs that Viana are best at, and give the album a strong
finish.‘Thet Place Is You’ is the one
gem of the ballads –Del Vecchio has this nice throaty rasp that displays the
emotion needed for a song like this.

Considering the time it has taken to write
and produce / mix this album, and what with the talent involved, I was
expecting something much bigger. That said, it’s a good album, but its not
brilliant. Its let down by the quality of some of the songs. Its consistently
average. Average can be good, but there’s currently a lot more bands playing
this music much better and effective than Viana. However, the up-tempo rockers
are much better than the ballads, and this is where I’d concentrate in future.
Hopefully it will not take Stefano another eight years to complete the follow
up.

Friday, 24 March 2017

Night Ranger are probably one of the most
underrated bands from the 80s. The fact that they never really stopped despite
the likes of grunge getting away is pure testament to their undeniable craft
and quality. They are one of the finest bands I have ever seen live in my
lifetime of gigging these past 35 years. In fact the stats for Night Ranger are
mightily impressive – 17 million albums sold, over 300 live shows, over a
billion in radio audience and still shit loads of people have no idea as to who
they are.

Night Ranger are old hands at this, in fact
they can put albums out in their sleep. One thing is for certain, and that is
that Night Rangers guarantee is to pump out energetic, positive and catchy
melodies for fun. Not only do they have the twin guitars ofBrad Gillis and Keri Kelli, but also the twin
vocals of Jack Blades and Kelly Keagy as witnessed none better than in the
opener ‘Somehow Someway’.

“Looking all I’m leaving behind, they say
that I’m the Jedi of fools’’ is an inspired lyric, and I didn’t think much
of‘Running Out Of Time’ after the first
listen, bit after repeated spins, its got under my skin. ‘Day and Night’ is a
powerful track but is let down by its chorus. It’s the opposite with the title
track, the verse is boring and comes to life with the chorus. ‘(Won’t Be Your)
Fool Again’ is a standard blues fare.‘Say What You Want’ is more like the opener and a typical Night Ranger
song – high tempo, rock. When they do this its ever so simple, and ever so easy
to listen to. ‘We Can Work It Out’ and ‘Nothing Left Of yesterday’ as songs on
the lighter side of Night Rangers repertoire.

One thing that rock bands just love doin’
is to sing about their woman…..and have her name just as the title track –
Angie, Rosanna, April, Roxanne as prime examples. Night Ranger have done one
with ‘Jamie’ Out of the latter part of the album, this one is the most
associated with their trademark groove.

Don’t Let Up sits in well with the last few
Night Ranger albums, but they aint no 80s album. Not even ‘Man In Motion’. I
admire that fact greatly that they still want to put out albums. Im more in
admiration that they still wanna rock out and tour. If I were to see them again
would I want half a set of songs from 2007 onwards – probably not.I’d want to hear the stuff from when they
were kings and ruled the airways. But that's just me.

Thursday, 23 March 2017

One Desire formed in 2012 when drummer Ossi
Sivula started gathering musicians by leading a trail of M&Ms to his flat!
It was not true. A couple of few years passed writing songs, making demos with
different musicians with a view to writing music that would apparently change
the world. I’m sure the lads over in Wyld Stallyns will have an opinion about
that!!!In 2014 they recruited Jimmy Westerlund (Good Charlotte). After trying
out various singers, Jimmy suggested they give his mate Andre Linman a go, and
not long after One Direction, I mean One Desire was born. Soon after bassist
Jonas Kuhlberg (Di’Anno, Cain’s Offering) completed the line up

I’m not sure who comes up with the pap for
the press release, but World changing it aint. I’m sure the likes of The
Beatles,Elvis and FM might, but, OD,
nah! But, its not a bad debut to be honest, in fact its one of the better ones.

You can tell that the songs have been honed
over a long period of time, they bellow with melody, and strong vocal arrangement.
Linman’s vocals are very clean and likeable and very easy on the ears.

‘Falling Apart’ is one of the finest
ballads you’ll hear all year (until Moritz and BRS release albums this year). ‘
Love Injection’ (f’narr) takes me back to 80s song titles. ‘Straight Through
The Heart’ is just a cracking little song, infectious to the core. The pink,
fluffiness of AOR comes from songs like ‘Turn Back Time’, ‘Hurt’, ‘Apologise’
and ‘Whenever I’m Dreaming’.

All in all, One Desire have a debut to be
very proud of. The whole album just flashes by quickly. Its chock full of good
songs, and they have a very bright future.

One thing that is now certain….Erik
Mårtensson and Eclipse have a ‘sound’. That sound is ‘BIG’. Its been a fast two
years since the bloody fantastic ‘Armageddonize’. In fact, Martensson has cut
through European rock music like a knife through butter, his writing and
influence is heard across many a band. Like British rockers Vega, Eclipse don’t
know the meaning of the word ‘filler’ or ‘compromise’. They have been building
momentum, over these past few albums, and judging by the title of this album,
they know it also.

Songs like ‘Vertigo’ and ‘Never Look Back
channel their inner Whitesnake and Kiss respectively, and they well and truly
set out the Eclipse stall. ‘Killing Me’ for example pulls on their talent for
melody that could be a chart-breaker in their homeland and possibly beyond…?
‘The Downfall Of Eden’ could easily be a Thin Lizzy song with its Celtic
refrain. ‘Jaded’ is a song where Eclipse cut through the crap and offers up the
poppier side of their repertoire, with an edge of course!

However, ‘Born To Lead’ take it all up a
notch, So much so I expect to hear an 80s Coverdale ready to break out of my
speakers. ‘No Way Back’ is one of those songs I just cant wait to hear live.
Its huge listening to it on my computer and that’s no mean feat to achieve.. ‘Night
Comes Crawling’ has an instantly sing-able chorus, and closer ‘Black Rain’ has
one of the heaviest ever Eclipse riffs and is a monster way to close of ‘Monumentum’.

Eclipse haven’t quite Eclipsed
Armageddonize but its bloody close. It’s a massive slice of powerful, melodic
rock that very few these days can consistently match. How Eclipse are not
playing to bigger audiences that they have the past 2 years is beyond me. They
should be playing to large audiences and deserve all that’s coming to them. I’m
hoping that some of their Festival appearances this year will get more people
in on the game.

Wednesday, 15 March 2017

So a good couple of
thousand descended on the tiny Chwiliog,aka Hafan Y Mor, for this, the fifth HRH AOR. Once shared as a fest,
it's now finally gained its own independence as a stand-alone festival which
shows how strong this genre has become. AOR has always been an underground
scene, but the people who follow it are very passionate and dedicated about
their bands. A lot of the audience are returnees, in fact most can be seen at
any melodic rock gig across the country and beyond. My only gripe, there was NOT ENOUGH AOR!!!!

Credit to HRH, as this
is a mighty fine festival, it's all contained, the stages are close, except the
acoustic, the food is a bit 'meh' (OK if you can live off Fish n chips, and
Burger King, or Starbucks) and the drink plentiful. It leads itself to a nice
warm, cozy and very friendly festival.

My day started on the
Friday with a couple of stunning acoustic sets courtesy of The Radio Sun, and
then the same guys being joined by Paul Laine. It's great news to have The
Radio Sun returning for second year in succession. The Aussies certainly made
an impact last year and gained a lot of new converts along the way. First of
all, the banter is great, we got to hear about the guys travel from South to
North Wales and their traffic encounters, and Jason being one of the 'Wiggles"!
Don't ask! It's the quality of the songs that make the biggest impression. 'One
In A Million' is just wonderful, it highlights just how strong TRS are with
harmonies, in fact very few of the bands over the whole weekend can match these
guys. 'Wrong Things Right' and a sterling Andy Taylor cover 'I Might Lie' (the
one with the riff that’s VERY Eddie ‘Beat It’)! 'Maybe' finished off a short
but very memorable set. (8.5/10)

Without any further
ado Paul Laine stepped up and you knew he was going to be trouble (but in a
good and very funny way!). Paul set up a high seat in front of him so he could
read some of his lyrics. Bless him. Obviously a forgetful chap, he has self-declared
Paulzheimers! 'Going All The Way' eventually kicked off the set. Paul's vocals
would be one of the best over the whole weekend. You can tell that both TRS and
Paul had spent time with Blood Red Saints as jokes and insults a-plenty were
traded between Paul and Jason....'Does The Rock know you've stolen his 80s
haircut?', and 'Jase, you're doing this (makes yapping sound with his hand)'
and I want you to do this (shut up hand signal). You had to be there!! There's a new double act
in town folks. That said, I think it's all stemmed from love and respect. But,
it's his show, so Paul is in charge. Up came 'I Still Think About You' and it
was just sublime in this acoustic setting. Laine’s vocal's are undiminished
from the fist time I ever witnessed him from his performance at The Gods over
twenty years ago (on the telly). After 'Comin Home' we were even given an
encore of 'Dont Walk Away'. TRS firmly set the bar for the weekend, and Paul
Laine raised it. These two sets were to be one of the main highlights of the
weekend. About 120 people witnessed something special here. (9/10)

We legged it to the main stage for a band I'd
only looked at the day before....Walkway. As far as first bands go, Walkway
were the best opening act I've seen at 4 AORs. This is a band that clearly
tour…..a lot! I missed the first three songs, and entered for ‘Overrated’.
That’s one thing that this band definitely are not. Their set is smooth as silk and very polished.
They are not exactly AOR, more classic rock, but when it's as good as this, who
cares. Frontman Chris Ready obviously has Robert Plant as an influence, and
this is no complaint from me. With a song armoury like ‘Best I Ever Had’, Stutter’,
‘Rise’, and the instantly memorable ‘Streetwise’, I really hope these lads get
the major break they deserve. Guitarist James Ready, who was fucking
outstanding I have to say, went on walkabout during the final song ‘One Touch
Too Much’. Walkway were another memorable highlight of the day and weekend.
Catch them live again if you can, you will not be disappointed. If you
are, I will refund your money myself!!

(8.5/10)

Last year I loved
Kane'd(s) brand of music. More Within Temptation, than melodic rock, but their
difference stands out in sisters Steph, Stacey and Chez, and lead guitarist
Harry Scott Elliott. At first glance, there’s that many of them, you would
think they are a Caucasian tribute of Earth Wind & Fire. However, this time
something was amiss, the spark wasn’t quite as bright this time. It wasn't all
Kane'd isuue as I had doubts over the quality of the sound. The vocals were too loud
and pitchy. It was eventually sorted and the songs do the talking – the
highlights being ‘Beautiful But Tragic’, Guilty Of Nothing’, ‘Covered In Roses’
and the utterly infectious ‘La Di Da’. What with a guitarist like Harry Scott
Elliot and the vocal assault from the girls, I fully expect greater things from
this bunch moving forward. Time for a new album I think and a move up the next
step of the ladder….? (7/10)

It was time to show
the young whippersnappers a thing or two. Romeo’s Daughter are a class act.
I’ve seen them quite a few times over the last (cough), thirty years, and they
have NEVER let me or the audience down. The set was to be quite wide ranging,
mixing the old and the new seamlessly, proving that the new songs are just as
good, if not better than the older songs. Leigh Matty looks gorgeous as ever,
and if there were awards for best hair, she would win hands down. In Craig
Joiner, Romeos Daughter have one of the most underrated but finest songwriters
of his generation. His playing isn’t necessarily flashy, but its honest and
from the heart. ‘Heaven In The Back Seat’ - a song that should have made them
household names, opened up a short but superb set. The good side of playing a
55 minute set…..all the stops are pulled out. From ‘Velvet Touch’ from the 80s,
to the likes of ‘Bittersweet’ and ‘Radio’ from more recent years, Romeo’s
Daughter have not lost any of their effectiveness. They finished the set 80s
heavy with the upbeat ‘Inside Out’, ‘I Cry Myself To Sleep At Night’ - one of
my all time favourite tracks, and finishing with a blast of the song that Heart
covered, the obligatory ‘Wild Child’. Great stuff. (8.5/10)

All of a sudden, when
you thought the main arena couldn’t get any busier, it suddenly became almost
unbearably full. In three previous visits, I’ve never seen the arena as full as
this. The reason I hear you ask……’Jizzy Pearl’s ‘Love/Hate’. Fair play to
whoever built a massive cross out of Budweiser cans. They opened with ‘Wasted
In America’ and the crowd went nuts. If anyone on the bill, looked like they
had lived, loved and survived the 80s up until now, it was Jizzy Pearl, looking
all the part a rock star. I’m going to wind a few people up here but the vocals
got on my wotsits a little bit. It was like someone was kicking a bagful of
Yorkshire Terriers around. I caught the first seven songs, and whilst I enjoyed
the set. I wasn’t as keen as all the people around me, which is probably
because Love /Hate aren’t AOR to me. Although I am sorry that I missed the rock classic
‘Blackout….’ (6.5/10)

I trundled over to the
second stage to catch HRH virgins Epic. Fronted by the spectacular vocal range
of Tanya Rizkala Agostine (she’s not Welsh!), this is a band (Like Bailey) that
should have been performing on the main stage. If you haven’t heard of Epic,
where have you been? Opening with the extremely powerful ‘Love Will Find A Way’
Tanya’s vocals were even better than the recorded version. Epic give
the bigger and more established bands a run for their money. Great things come
in small packages, and that’s what Tanya is. Her vocals could strip paint at
50m, and couple this with the fretwork dexterity of Mario Agostine and some Billy
Sheehan-esque bass playing from Carlos Bouchabki for great effect. Throw in drummer Souheil Moukaddem, and Epic give
one of the performances of the weekend. Again, its more classic rock per se
than AOR, but us AOR fans know a good band when we see one. As the set went on
the audience grew. My fave was the 80s rifftastic ‘Like a Phoenix’ followed by
a great rendition of AC/DCs ‘Highway To Hell’. For some reason their allotted
time wasn’t filled, and they finished with the sexy ‘Nah Nah Nah’ five mins earlier than expected.I’d like to see Epic re-invited as they
deserve another crack at the main stage. This was another highlight of the
weekend. (8.5/10)

I scuttled back across
to the main stage to view the last three songs of Bang Tango. They were a band
I never got into in the 80s and the reason was in these last three songs. The
vocals were whiny and just poor. The crowd around me heard a rendition of
‘Highway To Hell’ and went nuts, but Epic did it so much better ten minutes
earlier. If I was harsh on Jizzy Pearl, then Joe Lesté fans should stop reading
now. This sleaze (not AOR HRH!) was as fun as a root canal without the
anaesthetic. And then doing it all again....and again...and again...(4/10)

I’ve been waiting to
see this next band for the best part of 30 years. I’d have killed to have seen
them with their original singer, but that was not to be, so I had to settle for
two originals…..Steve Lynch and Horny Horn ( I mean Randy Rand) of Autograph!
Yes I was like a dog with two dicks, or as happy as pig in shit. They are now
completed by Simon Daniels (Vox/guitar) and Marc Wieland (drums). If I were any
closer I’d have been either in the photo pit, or as a guitar tech. Autograph
exploded into life for me, and I soon forgot about the Plunkett effect. ‘Deep
End’, ‘Dance All Night’, ‘Loud and Clear’ came at me faster than a bullet strapped
to a greased pig. Lynch’s guitar playing was as I heard on record 30 years ago,
and Rand looked like he had stepped straight out of a Marlboro advert. I’ve
heard the sound was piss-poor from others, but down the front it wasn’t felt (Most
had issues on the main stage – sort it out next time HRH!). ‘Blondes In Black
Cars’, ‘Send Her To Me’ and ‘All I’m Gonna Take’ were sandwiched by two fairly
new songs, with ‘I Lost My Mind In America’ being the best of the new. After
Lynch’s stellar rendition of Lynch's solo it was time to cry like a baby
and witness one of the best ever AOR songs laid down on vinyl (or cassette), ‘Turn Up The
Radio’, and thanks to GTA its also a song for all ages. It was a perfect
ending, and Autograph were the band of the day for me. (9/10)

Again Like Romeos Daughter,
FM are as reliable and faithful as a reliable and faithful reliable thing. Its now a
full ten years since they reformed and their output has been prolific and also of
very high quality. Coming on 10 mins later than planned and finishing near to
time, I felt a bit short changed. But what was missed in time was made up in
the set list of some FM outstanding classics. Jim Kirkpatrick looked every inch
the star with a trimmed look and aviator shades. He’s really added extra punch
to FM since his arrival. FM is mainly about one guy, and that is the UK Michael
Bolton…..Steve Overland, rightly known as THE VOICE! FM did something I’ve not
witnessed in years, opening to a couple ofpyro’s for ‘Diggin Up The Dirt’. Again the first few songs were a bit
ropey in the sound dept., not FMs doing. All was sorted for the best song that
never appeared on an album, ‘Let Love Be The Leader’. A couple of hardly played
songs made this evenings set, the song that should have set their path to stardom,
‘Someday’, and the superb ‘Tough It Out’. They went for the big finish with
‘Other Side Of Midnight’ and on the basis of the songs on offer, in my humble
opinion a mistake was made with the headliner, as FM have the songs and
substance to highlight this great AOR festival. Considering the type of
festival this is, they were the first band to have a keyboardist on show.
(8/10)

The headline act is
Lita Ford. I saw her in the early 80s supporting Rainbow on the ‘BOOS’ tour. To
be honest, I can hardly remember anything from that set, and the chances are,
give me a month and I will be in exactly the same position after this set. I
cant complain about the sound, as the songs paled into insignificance with
other bands on this bill today. One thing I will say is that Lita Ford still
looks fantastic. However, looks cant carry you forever, the songs have to do
some talking. From where I was stood (on the upper level near the bar), the
songs were bland and uninspiring. I was wondering how someone can headline a
festival based on 2 solo songs in ‘Close My Eyes Forever’ where she was joined
on stage by a crowd member who was dressed like a Poundland Ozzy, miming the
Ozzy parts, and the encore ‘Kiss Me Deadly’, and the other well known song from
The Runaways…‘Cherry Bomb’. I looked around near me and I think this is a sign

of what I’m thinking, as lots of people near me were having conversations, and
at no point in time did people stop and look up and listen, which would be the
reaction to have for a great performance, or song. It was not to be. Near the
bar, and way before the last few songs, the area, which was packed out at the
beginning of the set, was almost empty. If I judged it by colour, it would be
Magnolia. (6/10)

Saturday…..

I watched the last
three songs of Haxan based on their T-shirt. ‘You don’t need a cock…..to know
how to rock’. My kind of band I thought. The reality was a bit different. I
have to give them kudos and balls for a three piece that wants to rock out, but
they were let down a bit by the quality of their songs. The feistiness is
there, which is great, and I hope they develop into a great little band. Their
best shout came from a Zep cover ‘Rock and Roll’. There are lots of other AOR
bands in a similar position who would have killed for a slot like this. (6/10)

‘Watch Devilstars’
says Dennis, they’re great. So I did, up to a point.Their intro tape meant they could have almost
fit in an extra song. They looked the part, but the sound of the vocals was
inaudible. I don’t think it was down to the sound guy, it was just piss poor
projection. I lasted just four songs of the set, and was glad to get out to the
main stage. Who did I see in there…..yes, Dennis, who had lasted just two songs of
his own tip. (5/10)

Summers were well into
their set by the time I landed. This is the third time I have seen them and the
first two times they were great. The last was at the inaugural HRH AOR at
Magna. What I got this time was a disjointed Summers. Whereas a lot of other
bands had a theme or a ‘look’ Summers didn’t know what direction they were
headed in. Yes the sound was dodgy again, but I give the band the benefit of
the doubt. Crash Summers appeared to be disinterested and there had a severe
lack of activity up there. Plus, his gran would have been well pissed off when
she realises that he was wearing her curtain tie-backs. ‘Inseparable’ was like
a Bon-Jovi country track which is now all the rage. They made up for it with
decent versions of ‘Shot In The Dark’ and ‘I Came Here To Rock’. Five years ago
I thought Summers had a great future, but they have been over taken by bands on
this festival that are now higher up the bill. I really hope they pull
something good out of the bag in the near future as I still want them to make
it. If they do, it will probably be the hard way. (5.5/10)

The next band should
have the previous three I have mentioned, standing in the photo pit taking
notes on how a gig should be done. Or at second best giving them all lines. The
Radio Sun, making their second appearance in a row at HRH (four if you count
their own, and six if you add the Paul Laine gigs), are aeons ahead of most of
the bands on this whole roster. I was hoping for a bit of light hearted banter,
with say the ‘Home & Away’ theme tune as an intro, but they came out with
all guns blazing for ‘Tell Me What You Want’ With Steve Janevski and Jason Old,
pulling out the 80s shapes and style, the only thing missing was a Scorpions
pyramid. Their ace up the sleeve are Robbie Erdmanis and Ben Wignall. Why you
may ask? I will tell you why, because
when these two are added to the mix with Steve’s BVs all backing up Jason, then
its pure harmony heaven. ‘Wrong Things Right’ drove this fact home even more,
as the final lines send me and hopefully others into a goosey frenzy! ‘One In A
Million’ follows the same path. Why if it aint broke, don’t fix it. Highlights
for me are ‘Worlds Crazy Now’ and their cover of an Andy Taylor classic ‘I
Might Lie’. The Radio Sun are a class act, and should they make it three in a
row, they fully deserve at least an hour to perform next time around. (9/10)

The spit and polish
effect continued into the afternoon with Brit melodic rock starlets, Vega. I’ve
previously stated that these guys get better every time I see them. Well this
is the third time in less than 6 weeks, and I still stand by that statement.
Vega are built for the big stage. Their songs are made for it, their vocalist
Nick Workman is made for it, Bollox, all of them deserve the bigger stage and
the chance to play in front of thousand(s). Should Vega stick around long
enough, they are at the sharp end of being the best in their field. All the
songs are anthems, end of. No expense is spared when it comes to their tunes.
You can tell that every note and word has been carefully chosen and sweated
over for maximum effect. Vega are the second band of the weekend to have the ‘must
have’

AOR keyboards. Vega prove to be one of the best bands of the whole
weekend, their time on the road currently with DRN has tightened up their
repertoire even more. Its just killer after killer – 'Stereo Messiah', 'Every
Little Monster,' and 'WTH' just bombarded us with quality, and 'Fade Into The
Flames’ highlights just how good a singer Nick Workman is, he just doesn’t
stand still and is the focal point for Vega. The pièce de résistance for me is
the set closer ‘Saving Grace’, an absolute defining song for Vega that shows
they are ready for the next big step. (9/10)

My final viewing of
the day was for Paul Laine (I had a meeting to keep with a real Count! I’m sure
it was Count!!). Backed by the lads from The Radio Sun for their third
appearance of the weekend, I knew it was going to be a bit special. I caught 8
of the 100 songs of the set and was blown away by how good Laine is, even when
he is well on the way to being shitfaced! Some people may find him a bit
arrogant due to the drink, but I prefer to let the voice literally do the
singing. What with Paul also playing guitar, they are the AOR equivalent of
Iron Maiden, because with Steve and Jason also playing, there’s absolutely
nothing that can be played.There wasn’t
much solo stuff to be played unfortunately. Then again, he was in D2 after all.
I’d love to have heard a

Defiants track if I’m honest, but its no loss, as Paul
is still fantastic. His on loan guitar from Lee Revill kept failing in the
strap dept., so there’s now’t that duct tape can’t fix, even if it probably
lifts the lacquer of it. ‘Under The Gun’, ‘We Are The Young’ and ‘Don’t break
My Heart Again’ just tripped off the tongue. I’d love to see him, and as The
Defiants invited back. I just hope his liver allows him to! (8.5/10)

One again, HRH have
one of the best organised festivals in the UK. Whilst I don’t necessarily agree
with their choice of bands (at the very least, Epic and Bailey should be on the
main stage) as more than a few were sleaze than AOR, but it proved overall to
be very good, but it could have been great. I’m already looking forward to the next
one.

Sunday, 5 March 2017

The two bands on stage tonight deserve/d to
be huge. DNR had all the ducks lined up in the late 80s/ early 90s and were
tugging on the coattails of the likes of Bon Jovi with their funk/rap/jazz/
soul infused hard rock edge with some pop overtones. They were fairly unique in
their day, and is possibly....no, make that definitely why their record company did bugger
all in spreading the word. So instead of tonight’s gig being at Wembley, it’s
at the Chester Live Rooms.

Vega on the other hand still deserves a
shot at being huge. They’ve been around a while now (since 2009) and with every
passing album and gig, there’s bigger and better performances coming from the
guys.Last night nudged my Vega viewing
into double figures. One thing these lads do ever so well is, first and foremost
hit you with a powerful melody. The first song ‘Stereo Messiah’ was missed due
to visa issues (a Welshman travelling into England) so I entered to the
anthemic ‘What The Hell’ and by this point in the place was rocking. Its also
nice to see a Live Room gig attended by quite a few people for once, and Vega,
whilst nowhere near the same type of band as DRN, they prove to be a perfect
foil for them. When you have the Martin brothers shitting out melodies for fun,
and then having this backed with the guitar prowess of Marcus Thurston, and a
powerful and engaging front man like Nick Workman, it makes for a cracking
nights entertainment. ‘Gonna Need Some Love Tonight’ is a prime example –
infectious, and with an end line harmony that will melt the hearts of any a
detractor. Apart from a minor potential electrocution, Vega was superb. New
songs like 'Every Little Monster' (I cant type it without singing it) are
potential future classics. All the songs are anthemic, and why set out your
stall as being ‘average’ when you can write and perform songs like ‘Hands In
The Air’, ‘White Flag’ and ‘Savin’ Grace’. I expect them to be one of the bands
of the festival at HRH next weekend.

Dan Reed Network is a different band. They
all seem relaxed; in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier looking band.
Just don’t miss your cue, or set the monitors up correctly as Mr Reed, despite
the smiles and political statements/and Trump jokes, is a consummate
professional. After the lady jiggled some wires(oo-er!) at the front of the sound desk, we were ready to be taken on a
journey. Tonight (possibly others too) the set list is non-existent pretty much
and the DRN is open up to offers….but more of that a little later.

Straight up from the debut is in force with
DRN storming into ‘Ritual’. Despite being the wrong side of 50 (60+ for Brion
James!), not just Dan, its all bar young Rob, they all prance about the stage
just like it was 1988. The faithful were not to be disappointed, songs were
played from all across the network, “seven Sisters Road” played with a frenetic
ending, after which the floor was opened up by Dan, now taking
requests….’Rainbow Child’ shouted a punter. The usual response for this said
Dan was for every ‘Woo-hoo’, there’s a ‘fuck no!’ Thankfully the ‘fuck no’s’
were beaten down and they hammered it. ‘I’m So Sorry’ was up next. It sounded
as if it hadn’t had an airing in quite some time, but this added to the whole
enjoyment and spontaneity of the evening. I prefer to call it an ‘off the cuff’
performance.

‘Baby Now I’ segued into a medley of Kiss’
‘I was Made For Lovin’ You’, ‘Enter sandman’, ‘Relax’ ‘All Right’ (sung by
Melvin, followed by a bass solo) and a smidge of ‘Highway To Hell’ Fantastic
stuff indeed! A couple of new songs (Infected’ and ‘Champion’) sandwiched ‘Under My Skin’ and
some Bruce Lee Kung Fu with added drum sound effects. Young pup Rob Daiker was
given the chance to shine with one of his own songs, an excellent blues number
‘All For A Kiss’ first accompanied by Brion, then the rest of the Network
joining in. This stripped down version with just a guitar was superb.

The last three songs were at hand with
‘Ritual’ being my fave of the evening. That much so, I still can’t stop singing
it some 15 hours later. The staple ballad ‘Stronger Than Steel’ set the tone,
finishing with a crescendo and ‘Tiger In A Dress’.

Dan still sounds pretty much identical as he
did almost 30 years ago, and it makes for a terrific nights entertainment.
Throw in James. Pred, Brannon Jr and Daiker, and the end result is one of the
best gigs you’ll witness in 2017 or any other year. Most of the gigs are almost
sold, so what are you waiting for….get your asses our to one of the best
tickets in town. All this for a mere £9 a band and you can say hi afterward. No
£50 meet n greet to be seen here folks! My only gripe…..no ‘Make It Easy’, ‘Slam’
or ‘Long Way To Go.’

That said Vega and Dan Reed Network
provided one of the gigs of the year without a shadow of a doubt.